HELP! About to buy my first CJ...

[Alphasig83]

Hi all,
New to the forums...

I'm about to buy my first CJ, a 1984 CJ7 with a V8. I took the CJ to a mechanic for inspection and it seems there are big problems with the wiring. No gauges work, wipers don't work, and the headlights have different brighness...

Tub and frame are good, but I'm nervous about the wiring... also, Could there be an issue if somebody dropped a V8 in this CJ without working on the axles? The guy is offering it at $7000, and the mechanic told me to offer 5300. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Here's the link:1984 Jeep CJ-7 , $6,995 - Cars.com

Any help would be appreciated!!!

 

[Torxhead]

Listen to your mechanic, sounds like a vehicle that somebody worked on and gave up on it. That should reduce the price a lot more. That link said it had a 6 cyl. and not a V8. Buying a modified vehicle with problems sounds like a lot of work also. So the way I see it if you want it get a good price on it and be prepared to work on it, usually one problem leads to another.

 

[SlowPocono]

Ya gotta admit that it does look pretty.

 

[Only in a Jeep CJ]

Ya gotta admit that it does look pretty.

Not to me. I see a sloppy paintjob, a cut dash, missing parts and a mismatch of Jeep parts.

I see 91 to 95 YJ seats, a YJ hardtop, YJ full doors (with YJ mirrors, not the CJ mirrors),a YJ ac system, a swapped in V8 (360 from a Wagoneer would be my in the dark guess), a T-5 Transmission (that should be in question behind the v8, not so much the axles), aftermarket Gambler style rims, tailgate hinges are on upside down, etc, etc...I could go on.

If you want a nice original CJ7 , this isn't it. If you want a fresh yellow Jeep something AND don't care that its over priced.....go for it

 

[SlowPocono]

Not to me. I see a sloppy paintjob, a cut dash, missing parts and a mismatch of Jeep parts. ...

I will defer to your knowledgeable eye.

For that price, something a lot better should be available.
Patience will help.

 

[somedude922]

Run.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

No 84 CJ7 came with a V-8.

RUN away ASAP-
LG

 

[Techlight]

The other posts have good opinions and I agree with every post. Especially if the Jeep has other problems and is more than wiring. The V8/T-5 isn't a good combo.

For a first Jeep (assuming your mechanical skills/experience are average) I almost lean to a bone stock one that runs mostly ok and looks "almost decent" haha...something that you can modify as you go along, but know well enough to understand it's stock form cause you've spent some time with it. But that's a bit purist of me...and it assumes minimal mechanical knowledge but a desire to figure it out.

I'm also kind of a moderate on these things...that is I think that it all depends on your mechanical skills, the amount of money you think is "too much" or "just right" etc and your particular location (some areas Jeeps are expensive and some are dirt cheap). No doubt all Jeeps come with some kind of work, assuming you're not spending top dollar. The fact that your mechanic said the tub and frame are good is a plus, the paint looks good, top etc. Assuming your mechanic said there is no major mechanical problems (issues with high mileage, axles, suspension, etc), but "only" wiring issues well that's not that much of a deal breaker if your handy and have some patience (for some this would be a non starter and for others no big deal). Although, I would say I think that wiring is what gives most people headaches...and you do have to have a plan for that pesky V8/T5 issue.

If it's the case where this is "the jeep" you want, with the motor you want, etc etc and the only major thing is some wiring (assuming you know your way around and can fix most of it) then no biggie...offer a moderately lower price and get what you want. I think many of us look at Jeep purchases with preset ideas about what we're going to modify/change/repair and aren't too concerned with some details so it varies what we can deal with and what we're willing to take on. That being said you will be happier with something that gives you less problems from the beginning and you have to be sure that's what you're getting.

I think the bottom line when buying a Jeep is that it really needs to be the Jeep project you want AND that you can handle. That want needs to carry you through the repairs you'll need to do and the money you need to spend and needs to fit into your skill set and the goals for the project. For example, I bought my third Jeep (the one I'm currently building) on a budget with a blown motor and needing a ton of work. This was acceptable to me because with my initial budget I'd be putting a fresh motor in anyway, I also wanted to go over most of it and this fit into needing a cheaper starting price. Also, I wanted a Jeep I could redo everything on because on the others I only tinkered here and there (plans for my 4th will be a full resto for my son haha). So, I have no plans to make it into some extreme off road machine, because i don't have the skill set or the money. My goal was straight frame "decent" tub and the rest I didn't care about because my envisioned goal was about 20k (including initial cost and overhauling most of it myself with the cost spread out across the whole jeep) over time of course and I'll end up with an all around dependable and fun Jeep that I could enjoy over the long haul working on and wheeling.


So in the end 7k can buy you a lot of Jeep...but I think it can buy you one or the other. You can get one that looks good but needs some work, or one that is mechanically sound but looks bad haha. I'm kind of kidding here but the point is that whatever you buy it needs to be within your skills and your budget and where they're most comfortable being spent. So "know thyself" haha...and your project.

 

[jzak]

Used Car Dealers are All Thieving Bastards! RUN AWAY!!!

For $7000, you should expect that everything is working well. Stick with "BY-OWNER ONLY" on the Craigslist auto section.

 

[Saddle Tramp]

All good advice above but to me, and this is only my opinion, the fact that a CJ has multiple flavors of Jeep parts on it is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s the adaptors accompanied with the hacking a whacking that bothers me. Check the thread on how many vehicles does it take to make a CJ; mine is 3 jeeps and a Scout plus the original jeep then that’s not counting the Warn winch I recently snagged off the front of a TJ. (Not sure if the winch counts)

Look for a jeep that has the most “goodies” on it that match your intended use of the jeep for the best price. Jeep parts are expensive and when you go to sell the jeep it is rare to get much of your part money back. I’ve told the story before about my CJ5, when I bought it in 1995 the seller had paid $3,500 for it a couple of years prior then proceeded to dump another $9,000 into it during the last 12 months of ownership. (Still have all the receipts) I paid $3,750 for for the jeep, a mere $250 more than the price of the jeep only a few years earlier leaving a shortage of $8,750 to the seller. Things have changed a bit 20 years down the line as the number of “good” CJs left continues to dwindle but the rule of investment and return still applies to a large extent.

It’s a labor of love.

 

[Dolf]

"At XPress Auto Sales we carry a carefully chosen selection of previously owned quality cars, trucks and SUVs."

We carry a carefully chosen selection that happens to have wiring hanging down from the dash. I would say wait, and something better will come along.

 

[profire]

I would pass on that CJ. I looked for 6 months before I found a good one. I looked at a lot of CJ's and all the adds would say they were in great shape and no rust. Every time I went to look at one it was always far worse than what was advertised. I started to get discouraged and thought I would never find one within my budget but finally my patience paid off. Wait and one will come along, you be glad in the end.